With a heavy heart I am not racing in IM AZ this year. I will not be ready, that's the truth of it. I have put in the hours and done what my coach asked of me, but my weight has just not come off. I cannot make the times and I won't be able to fit into a wetsuit. I am a mixture of emotions right now - sad, mad, frustrated, disappointed, and embarrassed.
I wish you all the best in your training and your race. I am not sure if I will be down there or not at this point.
I WILL however, be following your progress and hope you all kick ass!
Duane
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Let's get some discussion going here.
The industrial revolution was neither industrial nor revolutionary. Discuss.
The young kids won't get that.
But here's a question - what is Ironman going to give you?
I'll tell you honestly that I don't have any idea right now. I know that triathlon has forced me to confront demons and work on the anxiety that I've carried around with me my entire life. I know that when I'm fit and active I have a mental peace that amazes me even now. I know that if I have my race brain on and I'm out there competitive, living in the moment, and focused well, then, it's just for me the best way to truly be alive.
I think Ironman, as an extreme version of triathlon will deliver up something new.
Any thoughts?
The young kids won't get that.
But here's a question - what is Ironman going to give you?
I'll tell you honestly that I don't have any idea right now. I know that triathlon has forced me to confront demons and work on the anxiety that I've carried around with me my entire life. I know that when I'm fit and active I have a mental peace that amazes me even now. I know that if I have my race brain on and I'm out there competitive, living in the moment, and focused well, then, it's just for me the best way to truly be alive.
I think Ironman, as an extreme version of triathlon will deliver up something new.
Any thoughts?
Monday, June 8, 2009
Susan's week
I'm doing about 6-9 hours for the next 3 weeks and then have a scheduled recovery week. We are following a plan by the same coach as we used for our half training last year. I like how he builds in weeks of recovery every 7 weeks or so. I really understood the benefit of rest last year when, two weeks before the Muskoka 70.3 I fell running and really did a job on my face, shoulder, knee and shin resulting in an infection in my leg, antibiotics and no workouts for the last two weeks of the plan. I was so well rested by the time the race came along that I actually beat my first half distance time by over 5 minutes on a course that was substantially tougher and in terrible wet weather. It was very hard to take those two weeks off but I'm a fast learner and the effect of the rest was pretty apparent.
Unseasonable cold and rain derailed our 60k bike on Sunday so we watched a movie and did an inside spin. Pretty boring - generally I just run and swim in the winter and don't really use my trainer much. That will, however, have to be a back up plan for this year as we can't just miss those workouts if the weather is really bad. September and October is generally very nice in Ontario but we could get some bad rain storms with the hurricane season to the south. Those blow up and give us some pretty wet days.
Otherwise we did a 10k run with at 1700 m swim on Saturday after a week with a hour interval and steady run, and Pilates (every week). Local pool was closed so I missed the short swim that was planned.
This week has Pilates today, a 13k hill run Wednesday, spin class for some intervals on Thursday and we will get in our first open water swim next Saturday. We are planning to piggy back on a race course set up for an afternoon race. It will be nice to have a marked swim course. Sunday will be a 1.5 hour ride followed by a 10k run off the bike.
It's all baby steps to the finish line.
Unseasonable cold and rain derailed our 60k bike on Sunday so we watched a movie and did an inside spin. Pretty boring - generally I just run and swim in the winter and don't really use my trainer much. That will, however, have to be a back up plan for this year as we can't just miss those workouts if the weather is really bad. September and October is generally very nice in Ontario but we could get some bad rain storms with the hurricane season to the south. Those blow up and give us some pretty wet days.
Otherwise we did a 10k run with at 1700 m swim on Saturday after a week with a hour interval and steady run, and Pilates (every week). Local pool was closed so I missed the short swim that was planned.
This week has Pilates today, a 13k hill run Wednesday, spin class for some intervals on Thursday and we will get in our first open water swim next Saturday. We are planning to piggy back on a race course set up for an afternoon race. It will be nice to have a marked swim course. Sunday will be a 1.5 hour ride followed by a 10k run off the bike.
It's all baby steps to the finish line.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Getting Serious
What is it now... 167 days? Seems so far off, but if you consider that is 5 months and a taper away, it might be time to GET SERIOUS!
After a few turbulent weeks of international travel, graduate school finals, and spending a week at the ACSM Annual Conference in my home town of Seattle, this week was finally time for me to "get serious". I've been biking (my real pleasure) quite a bit, a swim now & again, a run... well, once in a while (can you tell how much I love running?), but no real structure or Ironman focus until now.
I've eased into this first week of structure with 7.5 hours of biking, 1.75 hours of running, 1.5 hours of swimming, and 3 hours of bikram yoga. Hmmm, ok maybe I didn't ease in. That explains the complaints coming from my legs on this mornings run.
So... my quiet friends... what are YOU doing? Are you getting serious? Or are you one of those uber-focused warriors who got serious 4 months ago? Or... are you still thinking 167 days seems so far off?
Tammy
ATX
Friday, May 22, 2009
182 Days People!
As of Saturday morning (tomorrow), 182 days! Dang, seems like I just signed up and had 365days! I vacillate between fear, confidence, hope, excitement, and wondering what the heck I have got myself into! I have been training for this for 1/2 year! And finally the weight is starting to budge, down to 378. I have to kick butt (lose mine) over these next 5 months of training to have hope of finishing. If I don't, it will still be a great day and I will have a great training day (but secretly? I am really thinking I can do this!)
This weekend: 4 hour brick tomorrow, 2 hour bike Sunday morning and 2550 in the pool Sunday afternoon, then Monday morning a 10k.
So, are you peeps eating hot dogs and potato salad this weekend, or are you in training?! ("Keep that damn junk food away from me! Can't you see I am training for Ironman!?!) Please share with us what your weekend will or did entail!
This weekend: 4 hour brick tomorrow, 2 hour bike Sunday morning and 2550 in the pool Sunday afternoon, then Monday morning a 10k.
So, are you peeps eating hot dogs and potato salad this weekend, or are you in training?! ("Keep that damn junk food away from me! Can't you see I am training for Ironman!?!) Please share with us what your weekend will or did entail!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Hi everyone, made my 2 swims, 2 rides and 2 runs last week and I'm feeling it. Was starving today and made a very bad choice for lunch - corned beef sandwich and fries. I try to go veggie during the week so the meat was just wrong and I really rarely eat french fries. And it all wasn't very good anyways. I had a perfectly good bean dish that I brought from home that languished in the work fridge.
I really am trying to eat well for training and recovery but I find when I up the training I get really hungry and then I get stupid.
The training gives me some fantastic sleeps and I feel good getting back to it and that makes me feel great.
Planted my city garden on my third floor deck and it's coming along. We also worked on our cottage garden bed on the weekend. There is no real dirt where the cottage is, just rock, lake and bits of somewhat organic material, so we're creating two raised beds to fill with proper soil. It all sound great during the winter. I think my husband wasn't really happy about the plan as he screwed and assembled in the midst of black flies. None of you are from Canada so I'm pretty sure you don't know about the evil black fly. Tiny, tiny, nasty, satanic and only killed off by a couple of 80 degree days. Then the deer flies come. Large, nasty, stanic. I know Deet is a neurotoxin but I was sucking it up Monday.
The goal of the garden is to have good organic food only steps away. Can't say I see myself having saved money for a few years but this seems to me a long term lifestyle. Like triathlon.
Dinner is cooking, music is playing and I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing with the big training stretching out before us.
I know that many of you have blogs and I've started my own as well.
Soonest...
I really am trying to eat well for training and recovery but I find when I up the training I get really hungry and then I get stupid.
The training gives me some fantastic sleeps and I feel good getting back to it and that makes me feel great.
Planted my city garden on my third floor deck and it's coming along. We also worked on our cottage garden bed on the weekend. There is no real dirt where the cottage is, just rock, lake and bits of somewhat organic material, so we're creating two raised beds to fill with proper soil. It all sound great during the winter. I think my husband wasn't really happy about the plan as he screwed and assembled in the midst of black flies. None of you are from Canada so I'm pretty sure you don't know about the evil black fly. Tiny, tiny, nasty, satanic and only killed off by a couple of 80 degree days. Then the deer flies come. Large, nasty, stanic. I know Deet is a neurotoxin but I was sucking it up Monday.
The goal of the garden is to have good organic food only steps away. Can't say I see myself having saved money for a few years but this seems to me a long term lifestyle. Like triathlon.
Dinner is cooking, music is playing and I'd love to hear how everyone else is doing with the big training stretching out before us.
I know that many of you have blogs and I've started my own as well.
Soonest...
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I’ve spent the last week or so working through in my head how to explain the mental journey that I have taken over the past 4 years to take me from a Try a Tri in 2005 to Ironman Arizona next November. There was a time that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to make the swim cut-off because I couldn’t imagine not panicking in the water. As well, I could have panic attacks on the bike, either a continuation from the water, or, just an episode on a training ride. So, here’s the rules:
1. Don’t talk about fight club. Fight club is the swim and I probably only have a window right now of about 2 weeks before I have to ignore anyone talking about panic, any threads of BT about panic, and any advice to anyone on panic.
2. Cut out the caffeine. If you have any tendencies to anxiety get rid of all stimulants in your life. I was never a coffee drinker but I got caffeine from tea, Starbucks Chai lattes, chocolate, and gels. I now have to plan any chocolate consumption around my training, I’ve switched to Vanilla Creams at Starbucks and I only get one decaf tea a week, and only in the winter. I will use caffeine gels in a running race and I’m going to enjoy those Cokes in Arizona. But I will feel the effect on my mind and my ability to evaluate risk. Hopefully a jacked up metabolism will clear it all out within a day or so. But, caffeine has a half life and it takes a while to get it out of the system. If I have a decaf tea every day (4 mg of caffeine), then by the end of the week I’m going to have more than just that 4 mg of stimulant running around making me crazy.
3.Get some therapy, call it sports therapy if you want. I ended up with a great therapist who really didn’t specialize in athletes but sure knew dysfunctional families. It’s a rare person who doesn’t have demons and those suckers sure like to show up when ever emotions run high. A swim start is very emotional and just as your spouse or best friend may run into issues you are carrying around, (we’ve all had fights that were really not about those socks on the floor) so can your body run into your brain in the water. I came out of 12 weeks of therapy with very little fear of heights (big change) and a much lessoned fear of enclosed spaces. My therapy couldn’t fix my family but, did allow me to separate myself from the way they had, historically, treated me and how they made me feel about myself.
4. Consider it a series of jobs. First job, eat breakfast, second job, get to the transition, third job, set up in transition, fourth job, and the most important – if someone around you starts talking about swim panic either smile and walk away or redirect. Ask about kids, anything, do not play the panic game. Do not give advice, do not admit to any panic at all. You might even help that person out by getting them out of an unhealthy mental space. Keep going just working the one job at a time. Break it down as much as you need to. Having a gel on the bike at a certain point can be a job.
Last year our first half iron distance involved a river swim. The previous year our part of the country had a record level of snowfall. That summer was the rainiest on record also. There was a lot of water draining from the watershed on its way to the Great Lakes. I was late getting from the warm up area down river to the start and the current was fierce. I missed the start. I should have been freaking but I was laughing as I ran up the riverbank to the place were everyone had started from. I didn’t panic in the current but just kept plugging along. The fact that I could go from a woman who wanted to rip her wetsuit off, hanging off kayaks and getting to shore only through a possibly unhealthy force of will to someone who could laugh at missing the start is testimony to how much triathlon has made me change my brain.
1. Don’t talk about fight club. Fight club is the swim and I probably only have a window right now of about 2 weeks before I have to ignore anyone talking about panic, any threads of BT about panic, and any advice to anyone on panic.
2. Cut out the caffeine. If you have any tendencies to anxiety get rid of all stimulants in your life. I was never a coffee drinker but I got caffeine from tea, Starbucks Chai lattes, chocolate, and gels. I now have to plan any chocolate consumption around my training, I’ve switched to Vanilla Creams at Starbucks and I only get one decaf tea a week, and only in the winter. I will use caffeine gels in a running race and I’m going to enjoy those Cokes in Arizona. But I will feel the effect on my mind and my ability to evaluate risk. Hopefully a jacked up metabolism will clear it all out within a day or so. But, caffeine has a half life and it takes a while to get it out of the system. If I have a decaf tea every day (4 mg of caffeine), then by the end of the week I’m going to have more than just that 4 mg of stimulant running around making me crazy.
3.Get some therapy, call it sports therapy if you want. I ended up with a great therapist who really didn’t specialize in athletes but sure knew dysfunctional families. It’s a rare person who doesn’t have demons and those suckers sure like to show up when ever emotions run high. A swim start is very emotional and just as your spouse or best friend may run into issues you are carrying around, (we’ve all had fights that were really not about those socks on the floor) so can your body run into your brain in the water. I came out of 12 weeks of therapy with very little fear of heights (big change) and a much lessoned fear of enclosed spaces. My therapy couldn’t fix my family but, did allow me to separate myself from the way they had, historically, treated me and how they made me feel about myself.
4. Consider it a series of jobs. First job, eat breakfast, second job, get to the transition, third job, set up in transition, fourth job, and the most important – if someone around you starts talking about swim panic either smile and walk away or redirect. Ask about kids, anything, do not play the panic game. Do not give advice, do not admit to any panic at all. You might even help that person out by getting them out of an unhealthy mental space. Keep going just working the one job at a time. Break it down as much as you need to. Having a gel on the bike at a certain point can be a job.
Last year our first half iron distance involved a river swim. The previous year our part of the country had a record level of snowfall. That summer was the rainiest on record also. There was a lot of water draining from the watershed on its way to the Great Lakes. I was late getting from the warm up area down river to the start and the current was fierce. I missed the start. I should have been freaking but I was laughing as I ran up the riverbank to the place were everyone had started from. I didn’t panic in the current but just kept plugging along. The fact that I could go from a woman who wanted to rip her wetsuit off, hanging off kayaks and getting to shore only through a possibly unhealthy force of will to someone who could laugh at missing the start is testimony to how much triathlon has made me change my brain.
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